Applies To
	Product(s):	STAAD.Pro
	Version(s):	All
	Environment:	N/A
	Area:	Analytical Modeling
	Subarea:	Import/Export
	Original Author:	Bentley Technical Support Group

Why my DXF drawing is not imported correctly from AutoCAD into STAAD.Pro?

There are a few things one needs to be mindful of when generating DXF files from AutoCAD for import into STAAD.Pro:

1. All entities must be modeled in the AutoCAD model using simple lines. STAAD does not import complex entities like polylines or curves of any form. One must "explode" the polylines or curves and convert them to simple line entities in AutoCAD before creating the DXF file.
2. Surfaces if any, must be modeled using 3DFace entities in AutoCAD. However these surfaces may still import as a single plate instead of a mesh of plates which is not suitable for an analysis model anyway. So it is advisable to create these directly within STAAD.Pro by generating the plate mesh after the dxf import is done.
3. Since solid element data cannot be stored in DXF files, STAAD cannot import solid element data.
4. The AutoCAD file may have lot of entities which may not be relevant for structural analysis. For example the CAD file can have multiple connection details, text etc. which are not required for an analysis model. Another example would be sections in the CAD drawings which may be modeled using multiple lines representing each edge of the cross section. One does not need to import all these lines into the analysis model. The analysis model should be a wireframe representing the centerline of the members. So one needs to clean up the CAD model before generating the dxf file. After the wireframe is imported, any cross sectional property assignment can be made from inside STAAD.Pro